The Sacred Round: A Witch's Guide to Magical Practice [Paperback]

Elen Hawke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 2002

For those starting out on the Wiccan path, the time eventually comes when you want to delve deeper than an introductory text can take you. THE SACRED ROUND expands your knowledge of the Craft as it covers the kind of information you get in a coven or from a teacher. With step-by-step instructions on the chakras, seasonal rites, magic, spells, meditation, and divination, this guide takes you to the next level of Wiccan training.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Every sacred path has stages and layers of practice that require more commitment and reveal deeper facets and truths. In this book for intermediate to advanced practitioners, British Craft Elder and Pagan Federation member Hawke (In the Circle) provides adherents of earth religions with concrete, specific ways to go beyond initial observations of the seasonal year. Through various formulas, especially detailed ceremony descriptions, Hawke gently and even poetically sets the stage for worship. In her preface to Samhain (October 31 to November 1), for example, she writes: "Rivers run engorged through desolate banks, and the streams are slowed by the delicate tracery of ice as frost breathes across the landscape." First and foremost a practical guide, however, this easy-to-use book shows readers how to deepen their practice in chapters devoted to the elements, chakras, meditation and visualization, moon phases, seasonal festivals, magic and divination. Liturgies include lists for tools, supplies and offerings; ritual language; and adaptations suitable for group, duet or solo practice. Like all serious Wiccan materials, Hawke's book is careful to delineate spiritual pitfalls that arise from seeking to assert one's will over another's, even for presumed good, but especially for harm. In her thinking, practitioners follow the ancient teachings of witchcraft not just for personal or group edification, but also "for spiritual growth, for shared joy, and to give something back to the world in which we live." (Jan.)Forecast: As Wicca continues to thrive in the United States and Britain, there's a growing need for books that transcend the introductory level. This well-written manual is poised for modest success, and could be a strong backlist title.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Elen Hawke is a practicing witch who lives in Oxford  with her husband and a house full of animals.  She also has two grown children.  Elen is a photographer and illustrator, and has been doing professional astrology for 27 years and tarot reading for 10.  She divides her time between healing and teaching witchcraft, meditation, and chakra work.  She is Wiccan initiate in the Gardnerian tradition, a Circlework graduate from the House of the Goddess, and a member of the Pagan Federation.

Elen is of Irish, Welsh, Anglo-Saxon, and Jewish ancestry.  She remembers having psychic experiences since youth, and feeling an intense connection to the natural world.  Her love for reading began early with her grandmother's books on natural history and Greek mythology.

Elen has traveled through and lived in many other lands, including Iran, Afghanistan, and Brittany.  She believes that this cultural exposure and appreciation made the transition to Paganism easier for her than many.  She describes her spirituality as "eclectic," having explored Spiritualism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Druidry as well as Wicca.  She has achieved both the Bardic and Ovate grades in the Druid path.

Elen runs the email discussion group witchcraft_uk on behalf of the Children of Artemis.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (January 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738701726
• ISBN-13: 978-0738701721
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #797,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There's no barbie on a broom on the cover of this book!, February 8, 2002

By 

Mr. M. P. Duffy (Littlehampton, West Sussex United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sacred Round: A Witch's Guide to Magical Practice (Paperback)

It is very rare in the current market that an author will follow the first book with anything other than a rehash of the first, and this book is one of those rareties.

This book builds upon its inspirational predecessor (In The Circle), introducing new concepts to the reader whilst furthering the ideas presented in the first guide. This book clearly demonstrates that Elen has both the knowledge of her chosen subjects & the ability to present it in an easy to understand manner. She also seems to be able to finish off all of this by writing in a beautifully inspiring manner, in which an hour of reading can seem like minutes! It is quite clear from the outset that this author has actually put some thought into her book.

This book covers many areas, including the elementsm, chakras, meditation, visualisation, the moon, festivals, sacred space, ritual, magic & divination. However, there are three chapters that really stand out in all of this.

The first is the chapter on the elements. I don't know how many times I've despaired at the complete lack of information that is conveyed on this topic, but this book has answered that prayer. The elements are discussed one by one (including Spirit), relating the physical qualities to their esoteric symbolism and giving plenty of ideas that will help an alignment with these powerful forces.

The second is the chapter on the chakras. I must admit I already had an understanding of the chakras as I work with them a lot & have studied them profusely. However, the one thing that sets this apart from other information is the way that Elen has clearly thought about the way they fit in with witchcraft and our beliefs, not merely trying to jam an eastern concept into a western belief system.

The last section of special mention is that on the festivals & the moon. Although these are covered in the first book, here they are expanded upon, clearly demonstrating the ways in which both the moon phases & the festivals can be worked with to enable personal development, as well as the ways in which they can be utilised in magic.

Elen has also avoided the pitfall of so many authors who attempt to write guides on this spiritual path, in that in no way does it become a dull lifeless technical textbook. Throughout this book Elen manages to weave information and exercises together in a poetic, almost lyrical, fashion. The result of this are down to earth ways by which one can fit the craft into daily life, and the most vital part, the inspiration that drives you to stop reading about it & start doing it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent magical manual, December 30, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sacred Round: A Witch's Guide to Magical Practice (Paperback)

This is an excellent sequel to In the Circle, but it goes into more depth with rituals, magic, divination and the festivals, and adds more in depth information about the chakras, meditation and the elements, witchcraft and paganism. I think the book was produced in an authorative and ethical manner, as well as being beautifully written in an easy read and poetical style. I would recommend it to newbies and the experienced equally, there is something for both. The book stands along classics such as Cunningham, Kate West and Silver Raven Wolfe.

Truly an excellent working magical manual with everything you need to get set up and started, or to deepen your practise if you are a seasoned witch.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for beginners and experienced witches alike, December 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Sacred Round: A Witch's Guide to Magical Practice (Paperback)

If you are wondering what to read after Scott Cunningham's Wicca and living Wicca then this would be a good buy. Like Cunningham, Ellen Hawke manages to fit in a remarkable amount of material in a surprisingly small space (the book is around 180 pages)and her writing style is clear and to the point which makes it an excellent choice for beginners. At the same time, her style is also enthusiastic and imaginative and I found myself completely absorbed by the material and finished it in just a couple of sessions.
The book covers everything you would expect - from the festivals, importance of meeon phases, setting up a sacred space, the tools, correspondences, the elements, chakra work, visualisation and more. There are numerous practical examples associated with almost all of the topics, which are easy to follow, ethical and safe to use. If you are near the start of your path on the craft of the wise then you will gain a great deal by trying out the exercises here. If like me, you are a bit further along, then this book is excellent as a reference work (because it is so clearly laid out)for things like correspondences. This is Ellen Hawke's second book, and the quality of the first has been maintained here. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.